Effective Missionary Work

Effective Missionary Work EFFECTIVE MISSIONARY WORK.
By C. J. ROBINSON. This is a broad subject, it may include the work of men, angels, the Devil, or the work of the God of Heaven and earth, but we will confine ourselves to the work of the Lord, as done through his messengers to the children of men. Effective, describes the kind of work we should do for the Lord our God. If we are successful as a missionary, we must be prepared for this line of work in order for us to be prepared, we must study the message that God has given us to deliver to the ones we are sent, we must know the needs of the people to whom we go, that we may show them the better way to live that they may have happiness here and hereafter. The character or life that the mis­sionary lives has much to do with the effect of the message that he brings, "A good tree bringeth forth good fruit; but the corrupt tree bringeth forth evil fruit." When a gospel preacher goes to a place to do mis­sion work he should be a man with a good report from the church that sends him, if he does not "keep himself unspotted from the world, the effect of his message will not do the good that it will when the world can not class him as an evil-doer," but if a man suffer as a Christian, let him not be ashamed; but let him glorify God in this name." I am glad we now have schools conducted by the churches to train the young for effective work in the church as missionaries to the world. Our colleges are making efforts to prepare students to do efficient mission work. When Bro. T. W. Phillips was a small boy he read to my grandfather, MacGraves, S. R. Ezzell, book, "The Great Legacy," that caused him and my Father Henry Robinson to read the Bible and send to get a gospel preacher by the name of Henry Simson to baptize them into Christ. So we can see that by publishing papers and tracts and sending them out, we will convert to the Christ. The words, angel and missionary are used many times to mean the same thing. God has had many mis­sionaries in the world's history. Webster defines effective, to have power, to produce good results. So man from the very beginning of his life on earth has desired power. Man saw the ox had more power than he did, so he tamed him and uses him to plow his fields. He saw the horse could run much faster than man so he caught and trained him to bear his burdens. He saw the river had more power than he did. So man said, "If I only could get that power". So he uses it to grind his bread and run his factories. He saw the lightning as it flashed across the sky, he has harnessed it to light his home. Night is turned to day in the cities, street cars and railroad trains are run by its mighty power. Sometimes man's desire for power causes him to sin. Pharaoh, de­siring more power, gave command that all male children of the Hebrews be killed. At the time Moses was born Herod, at the time Christ was born, gave the command to have all the male children in Bethlehem slain. Matthew 2 nd chapter. God wants us to have power to honor and glorify him. A missionary is one sent on a mission. Christ has his missionaries and the devil has his. Ephesians 6:11-12. "Put on the whole armor of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places, wherefore take unto you the whole armor of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand. Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth, and having on the breastplate of righteousness; above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked, and take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the spirit, which is the Word of God praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints." God in his love and wisdom has sent to man messages by his missionaries in all ages of the world's history, God called Abraham out of the land of Haran into the land of Canaan and blessed him that he might become the father of the faithful ones in Christ. God has never destroyed a nation or a city that he did not send a missionary, either, angel or man to give warning before the destruc­tion sent upon them. God sent Enoch the seventh from Adam to prophesy against the wicked, he sent Noah to warn the Antediluvians. God ordained from Adam to Moses that the father should be prophet and priest in the family worship. When we look into the heavens and see the beautiful rainbow we are reminded of God's promises to Noah, and all flesh that he will not destroy the earth by a flood of water. When Lot's selfishness led him to try to defraud his uncle Abraham in selecting the plains of the Jordan, God saw the wickedness of Sodom and Gomorrah and sent a missionary to get Lot out of Sodom, before he rained fire and brimstone down from Heaven upon them. Christ said for us to remember Lot's Wife, she was turned to a pillar of salt, because she looked back. A warning to all Christians. At this time God promised Abraham and wife a son (Isaac). When God tried Abraham by having him offer his son as a sacrifice, he promised to bless Abraham. When Jacob's son hated their brother and sold him into bondage God made him useful to King Pharaoh and all Egypt. He interpreted dreams of the seven years plenty and the seven years famine and saved Egypt and all his own people from starvation. "When the time of the promise drew nigh which God made unto Abraham, the people grew and multiplied in Egypt until there arose another King over Egypt who knew not Joseph." Then God raised up Moses as his missionary to deliver them from bondage. Moses was schooled and educated in all the Egyptian wisdom and was mighty in his words and work, but when he was near forty years old, it came into his heart to visit his brethren, the children of Israel. But he went to them as a prince and they would not receive him. Neither will people listen to us when we try to exalt ourselves far above them. God sent him to Midian to learn the lesson of humbleness. So God used him to lead the people from bondage into the wilderness and he gave them laws on Mount Sinai for the Jews to live by until Christ should come. While Moses was in the mountain forty days receiving the law, the Jews worshipped an idol that they made and God killed three thousand of them. Christ was on the earth forty days after he arose from the dead, speaking to his apostles concerning his kingdom. He promised to send them the Holy Spirit to guide them into all truths. He led his disciples out of Bethany's heights and said unto them that all power in Heaven and earth is given into my hand. Go ye therefore into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature, he that believeth and is baptized shall be saved. He was then taken up to Heaven where he was crowned "King of Kings" and "Lord of Lords." Where he now sits at the right hand of the father, having entered Heaven itself. There with his own blood he made the atonement for the salvation of the world and as he had promised, he sent the Holy Spirit upon his apostles whom he had chosen as his missionaries to preach his gospel to all the world. On the day of Pentecost, Peter, using the key of the Kingdom opened its doors and three thousand obeyed his preaching and entered into this glorious temple. The Bible gives us many examples of great and grand men, that God sent to serve him and the world. When he needed a good king to rule he lifted David, the son of Jesse from a shepherd's cot to king. He placed a golden crown on his head, and promised him that he would raise up his son (Christ) to sit on his throne, which he has fulfilled. He gave the world Solomon the wisest man the world has ever seen. The Kings and Queens of earth would come and sit at his feet and listen to the beautiful proverbs that bubbled forth from his lips and returning home would tell their subjects that the half had not been told of his mighty wisdom. He had power to show the world the folly and vanity of a worldly life. God used him to show the power of riches by giving him silver and gold; even the palace he lived in had a golden roof. He looks upon his gold and asks, how dies the rich man? God answered by saying, "as the poor." Some think that through revelry and rowdyism, dissipation, frolic, frivolity and fun happiness is gained, but God permitted Solomon to show us that this is a mistake. He also teaches us that worldly power cannot give the happiness for which we sigh. After Solomon had walked in all the avenues of life he draws the conclusion for us, which is to "fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the whole duty of man, for God will bring every work into judgment with every secret thing whether it be good or evil." But the time will fail me if I tell of Gideon, Barak, Samson, Jephthar and the prophets who through faith subdued kingdoms wrought righteousness, obtained promises, stopped the mouths of lions, quenched the power of fire, escaped the edge of the sword, from weakness were strong, waxed mighty in war, turned to fight armies of aliens, women received their dead by resurrection, others were tortured, not excepting their deliverance that they might obtain a better resurrection.

God sent John, the Baptist, in the power and spirit of Elijah to call the children to their parents and the parents back to their children and God. He was a voice crying in the wilderness, "Prepare ye the way of the Lord, make his paths straight." John did baptize in the wilderness and preached the baptism of repentance for the remission of sins and there went out unto him all the land of Judea and they of Jerusalem and were all baptized of him in the river of Jordan, confessing their sins. John was clothed with camel's hair and with a girdle of skins about his loins and he did eat locust and wild honey, and preached, saying, "there cometh one mightier than I after me, the latchet of whose shoes I am not worthy to stoop and loose, I indeed have bap­tized you with water, but he shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost." Christ came from Nazareth of Gallilee, was baptized by John in the Jordan and coming up out of the water he saw the Heavens opened and the Spirit like a dove descending upon him; and there came a voice from Heaven saying, "Thou art my beloved son in whom I am well pleased." Our Savior came on the greatest and grandest mis­sion that the loving father in Heaven could bestow upon a world in bondage of sin, he is the balm of Gilead, the physician that can aire the malady of sin. He gives us the remedy which is the gospel. He came to seek and save that which is lost. He is the author and finisher of our faith, fie came to show the world the father. Christianity itself is a message of peace and good will. "By the com­mandments of the everlasting God is made known to all nations for the obedience of faith." My hardest work in the mission field is to get the co-operation of all the members of the churches that are near the place of meeting. In many places they take no interest in mission work. This is no doubt the lack of teaching. Some seem to have the spirit of Judas, when Mary lovingly came to the master and broke a bottle of very costly ointment and anointed the Savior with it.

"Oh!" said Judas, "you should not have wasted that, you should have sold it and given the money to the poor". Some say the same thing when a poor old missionary goes out as Christ says for them to go and when he does not baptize a great number they cry out, "Waste of time and money". But the word of God is the seed of the Kingdom and when sown into good and honest hearts and allowed to remain there it will bring forth good fruit. Churches should co-operate as churches and not as societies with their boards; things that are unknown to the Bible. The greatest and grandest insti­tution in the world is the church. The only institution that God has called us to work in, is the church. The Lord loved it and gave his life for it that he might "sanctify it, having cleansed it by the washing of water with the word that he might present the church to himself a glorious church not having spot or wrinkle or any such thing."

Christ built one model church at Jerusalem, all others should be just like it; this church grew to be a large church with fifteen thousand members with elders, deacons and evangelist. But the hand of persecution struck it and like a ripe stalk of wheat it scattered the seed of the Kingdom, for they went everywhere preach­ing the word. Churches sprung up, grew and multiplied until about forty years after this Paul said that the gospel had been preached unto every creature under Heaven.

Christ prayed that his disciples might be one. We are taught to all be one in life and purpose; by all being one we show the world that we are Christ's. The seven pillars of the Christian faith is one body, one spirit, one hope, one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and father of all. For us to obey Christ who said go teach all nations because all power in Heaven and earth were given to him, we must go and work with him.

Christ said, "A house, meaning the Church divided against itself could not stand." Matthew 12:25. At one time there was only one speech, they came together in the land of Shinar, and made brick and said. "Let us build us a city and a tower, whose top shall reach unto Heaven, and let us make us a name, lest we be scattered abroad upon the face of the whole world. Genesis 11:1-4. And God said, "Behold they are one and will do what they purpose to do." Why did Nehemiah build? Because they had a mind to work. When Moses and the children of Israel had crossed the Red Sea into the wilderness, then came Am-a-lek and fought with Israel. Moses sent Joshua to fight and went up on a hill, with the rod of God in his hand. He held it out, but his hand tired, so Aaron and Hur held up Moses' hand while the battle was being fought and they gained a victory over Amalek. Exodus 17. The miracles of Christ teaches us how God wants us to work with him. Jno. 2 CH. Christ told the servant to fill the water pots with water and draw ii out and bear it to the rulers of the feast. Jno. 9. A man that is blind from his birth, Christ spat upon the ground and made clay of the spittle and anointed his eyes with the clay and said unto him, "Go and wash in the pool of Siloam". He went away therefore and washed and came, seeing.

Luke 5:18. The man with palsy was brought to Christ by four men on a bed but as they could not get into the house through the door they uncovered the roof of the house and let him down. Christ looked up and saw their faith he said to the sick man, "Take up thy bed and walk". By the cooperation of the four men the man was healed. In the 12th chapter of Acts we have a case of Peter's imprisonment. King Herold had James killed with the sword, when he saw that pleased the Jews he seized Peter and put him in prison, with the intention of killing him after the passover. Peter was sleeping between two soldiers, bound with two chains. God sent an angel into the jail and awoke him saying, "Rise up," the chains fell off from his hands and the angel told him to gird himself and bind on his sandals. Peter did so, casting his garments about himself and followed the angel. All this shows how God wants us to do the things we can. When we look at the work of the Apostle Paul as a missionary to the Gentiles and see how he was per­secuted together with many other great men that have lived in the world; when the stream of Christianity was polluted by the false teachings of the Pope of Rome and the Bible was taken away from the people so that many were driven into darkness and superstition, God raised up many missionaries and sent them out into the world to combat this evil influence and purify the Church.

We are indebted to John Wickliffe, who was born about 1324 for the translation of the Bible into English. He is sometimes called, "THE MORNING STAR OF THE REFORMATION."

William Tyndale is styled the great English reformer of the sixteenth century. He published the Bible for which he was burned to death. When dying he cried, "LORD OPEN THE EYES OF THE KING OF ENGLAND". His prayer was answered.

John Huss was the great Bohemian reformer of the 15th century. He wrote many books against the practice of the Roman Catholic Church. They stripped him of his priestly robe and painted paper mitre upon which devils were painted and the words "A ring leader of heretics". While the fire gathered about him he sang a hymn. The name Huss means GOOSE. He said, "You are now roasting a goose but in a hundred years you will raise up a swan whom you will not roast nor scorch, In the next century Martin Luther appeared; singing his sweet songs and shaking the powers of the earth with his measures of reforms. He is called the great German reformer. He was born 1483 and died 1546. While a student he found a Bible and studied it diligently. He began to oppose the Roman Catholic authority; the Church excommunicated him. He nailed ninety-five theses to his Church door and publicly burned the Pope's bull of excommunication exclaiming with a loud voice, "Because ye have troubled the saints of the Lord therefore let eternal fire trouble you". When he was summoned to appear at the diet of Worms his friends ask him not to go. He answered, "If there was as many devils in Worms as there are tiles on the roofs of the houses I would go on". His dying words were "Oh! my Heavenly Father, eternal and merciful God. thou hast revealed to me thy son our Lord Jesus Christ, I have preached him, I have confessed him, I love him and I worship him as my dearest Savior and redeemer, him who the wicked perse­cute, accuse and blaspheme.'' He then repeated three times, "Into thy hands I commit my Spirit, God of truth, thou hast redeemed me." And he fell asleep.

John Calvin was born July 10, 1500, the read the writings of Luther together with the Bible and ably defended the cause of the reformation.

John Knox, the reformer of Scotland was born 1505. He read the writings of Jerome. This led him to read the Bible. One writer said to him, "The light of Scotland, the comfort of the Church within the same, the mirror of Godliness, the pattern and example of all true ministers in purity of life.

Rodger Williams assisted in religious freedom in America. He was driven out of England because he would not conform to the laws of the Church.

John Wesley was born at Epworth in 1703. He belonged to the Church of England. He organized societies to study the Bible in. He and his followers were nicknamed Bible Bigots, Holy Club and Methodist. They did not leave the Church of England. The idea of, "Mystical conversion" was introduced by Wesley.

Alexander Campbell was born in Ireland in 1788. In 1807 the family moved to America. His father, Thomas Campbell was a Presbyterian preacher. They decided to study the Bible, adopting this motto, "Where the Bible speaks, we speak, where it is silent we are silent". They, together with others soon left the Pres­byterian Church and went to the Church of Christ. To all of these reformers we are indebted for much of the gospel light that shines upon this earth. The Jews tried to kill the Apostle Paul, while he was at Damascus, but his friends let him down in a basket from the wall of the city and he escaped and went to Antioch where he preached one year. The first Gentile Church was organized in Antioch, where the name Christian was given to the disciples by the mouth of the Lord. Isaiah 56:5. Paul went to Paphos; the pro­consul, Sergius Paulus, asked to hear him preach, but a Jew and false prophet, named Bar Jesus withstood him seeking to turn the deputy from the truth. Paul called him a child of the devil, an enemy of all righteousness and he was made blind. When the deputy saw this he believed Paul. At Lystra they stoned Paul and dragged him out of the city supposing that he was dead. But as the disciples stood around about him he arose and went into the city. Paul was a great worker, he knew that he was created for that purpose. Galatians 1:15. "For ye are God's fellow workers". 2 Corinthians 6:1. We then as workers together with him beseech you also that you receive not the grace of God in vain. Paul had pre­pared himself for work, he taught publicly and from house to house. Acts 20:20. When Paul was a prisoner at Rome he lived in a hired house and preached to all who came to him. Paul believed that Christ would triumph above all his enemies. 1 Corinthians 15:56-58. Just before he died he said the time of my departure is at hand, I have fought a good fight. I have finished my course, I have kept the faith, hence­forth there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness which the Lord the righteous judge shall give me at that day and not to me only but unto all them also that love his appearing.